US launches campaign to dismantle ICC over sovereignty threat
01:40, 14/07/2026, TuesdayU: Update: 02:01, 14/07/2026, Tuesday
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File photoThe Trump administration announced on Monday a comprehensive campaign to systematically dismantle the International Criminal Court, citing threats to American sovereignty and warning that Washington will impose sanctions and visa restrictions to shield American servicemen from prosecution.
The Trump administration on Monday unveiled a sweeping campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court, branding the Hague-based tribunal a threat to American sovereignty and vowing to deploy sanctions, visa restrictions and diplomatic pressure to systematically disable its operations.
The State Department said in a statement that Washington would employ a “whole-of-government response to systematically disable the ICC's ability to operate, target American servicemen or officials, or otherwise threaten American sovereignty.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio argued in a
Wall Street Journal
opinion article that the court had evolved into a supranational body seeking to override sovereign states, pledging the administration would “dismantle the ICC—brick by brick, if necessary.”ICC probes targeted
The offensive follows the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants in November 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leader Ibrahim al-Masri over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The court also maintains an investigation opened in March 2020 into potential crimes by US troops in Afghanistan; while prosecutors have deprioritized that probe since 2021, the case remains formally open and the court has refused to close it.
Washington imposed sanctions last year on 11 ICC officials, including nine judges and chief prosecutor Karim Khan, targeting them with asset freezes and travel bans. The State Department noted that the court has claimed authority to prosecute Americans despite Washington never ratifying the Rome Statute, adding that past US administrations have rejected the tribunal's jurisdiction over US nationals.